| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 70.01 |
| Liaison | Cindy Shea |
| Submission Date | July 18, 2014 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
OP-26: Water Use
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.96 / 3.00 |
Cindy
Shea Sustainability Director Sustainable Carolina |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
None
Level of water risk for the institution’s main campus:
Low to Medium
Total water use (potable and non-potable combined)::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total water use | 2,502,318.78 Cubic meters | 2,880,360.11 Cubic meters |
None
Potable water use::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use | 1,839,005.17 Cubic meters | 2,880,360.11 Cubic meters |
None
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users"::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of residential students | 8,952 | 6,754 |
| Number of residential employees | 18 | 0 |
| Number of in-patient hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Full-time equivalent enrollment | 27,069 | 21,921.67 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 11,696.97 | 9,591 |
| Full-time equivalent of distance education students | 954.25 | 271.50 |
None
Gross floor area of building space::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Gross floor area | 1,728,388.78 Square meters | 1,085,593.29 Square meters |
None
Area of vegetated grounds::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Vegetated grounds | 228.65 Hectares | 226.42 Hectares |
None
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | July 1, 2012 | June 30, 2013 |
| Baseline Year | July 1, 1999 | June 30, 2000 |
None
A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:
The campus suffered a severe drought in 2001/2002 and instituted aggressive and ongoing water conservation measures as a result.
None
Water recycled/reused on campus, performance year:
---
None
Recycled/reused water withdrawn from off-campus sources, performance year:
663,313.61
Cubic meters
None
A brief description of any water recovery and reuse systems employed by the institution:
UNC uses non-potable water from multiple sources including: reclaimed water from the local water and sewer authority, harvested rainwater stored in cisterns, and collected condensate.
The Energy Services Chilled Water utility is the largest user of non-potable water at UNC. Non-potable water (primarily reclaimed water) is used for cooling tower make-up water at the five, central chilled water plants on campus.
The FedEx Global Education Center, NC Botanical Garden Visitor Center, Kenan Football Stadium, and Genome Sciences Building have non-potable water toilet and urinal flushing systems.
Both above and below ground cisterns store clean rainwater that is harvested to flush toilets and irrigate landscapes. These include the football practice fields, Fetzer Field, and Boshamer Stadium (baseball). When rainwater is insufficient, reclaimed wastewater from OWASA provides a non-potable backup.
None
A brief description of any water metering and management systems employed by the institution:
Water use is metered in virtually every building on campus.
None
A brief description of any building retrofit practices employed by the institution, e.g. to install high efficiency plumbing fixtures and fittings:
Water saving toilets, sinks, showers, and urinals are specified in new building projects and renovations. During the 2001/2002 and 2007/2008 droughts significant investments were made in a variety of water consuming technologies.
None
A brief description of any policies or programs employed by the institution to replace appliances, equipment and systems with water-efficient alternatives:
Closed loop water-based cooling systems transfer waste heat from research and diagnostic equipment to building chilled water systems. Closed loop water distillation systems retrofitted into 7 of the highest water-consuming laboratory facilities on campus save an estimated 47 million gallons of water per year.
At the Facilities' Service Station, the wash bay recirculates 70% of the wash water and filters out contaminants.
The new food pulper in Lenoir Dining Hall extracts and reuses 95% of the water removed from food waste. Also, extraction reduces the weight and cost of shipping the food waste for composting.
Energy Star washing machines have been installed in residence halls.
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A brief description of any water-efficient landscape design practices employed by the institution (e.g. xeriscaping):
UNC selects drought-tolerant plants whenever possible.
Several extensive green roofs are planted with drought-tolerant sedum and other groundcover. Water stored under the intensive green roof at Rams Head is used to irrigate this important campus connector.
Rainwater from the roof of the Genome Sciences Building (GSB) drains into a 350,000 gallon, stone-filled cistern beneath the Bell Tower Amphitheater. Following UV treatment and chlorination, the rainwater is used to flush 1,000 toilets in the GSB and Kenan Stadium and to irrigate Kenan field.
None
A brief description of any weather-informed irrigation technologies employed by the institution:
A centralized weather station electronically monitors 12 variables, including relative humidity and rainfall, and communicates this data via radio to 21 irrigation controllers.
None
A brief description of other water conservation and efficiency strategies employed by the institution:
Over 200 stormwater control measures capture, slow, and/or filter campus runoff. Traditional measures include ponds, wetlands, underground storage, bioretention, and sand filters. More innovative control measures include green roofs, cisterns, and permeable pavement.
None
The website URL where information about the institution’s water conservation and efficiency initiatives is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.